Han Cheng still tilted his neck inch by inch, searching among the branches and leaves. The prolonged act of looking upwards made his neck stiff, and he felt a bit dizzy.
Would the silkworm-raising matter be postponed again?
This area wasn't particularly large, with only twenty-eight mulberry trees whose trunks were thicker than a bowl. He had already looked through more than half of them but still hadn't found any traces of silkworm cocoons.
He lowered his head, moved his stiff neck, and felt disappointed.
Where did that fellow Fu Jiang go?
He glanced around, but there was no sign of Fu Jiang. Puzzled, he was about to call out a couple of times.
"Divine Child! Look!"
Mu Tou's surprised voice suddenly rang out. Han Cheng followed the sound and saw Mu Tou under a mulberry tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, pointing upwards with pleasant surprise on his face.
Immediately, he hurried over to Mu Tou. The matter of calling Fu Jiang was forgotten for the moment.
Mu Tou pointed to a spot above them and spoke again.
Following his direction, Han Cheng's gaze searched for a while until he finally spotted a small object hanging from a branch. It wasn't large, probably thinner than his little finger, and shaped like an oval stick. The surface was a dark brown, perhaps due to long exposure to wind and sun. With the breeze, it swayed back and forth, resembling a hanging ghost not yet dead.
Han Cheng felt delighted. He was pretty sure this was it!
He didn't need anyone else to do it; he hugged the tree, climbed up, grabbed the branch holding the "hanging ghost" of a mulberry tree, and broke it off with his hands.
As he pulled the branch, he was pleasantly surprised to find two cocoon-like silkworms hanging next to each other on the branch's end.
Before descending the tree, he eagerly examined the branch with the cocoons. The initial excitement faded, replaced by disappointment.
Compared to the silkworms he had raised in his childhood, these cocoons were much smaller and thinner. They collapsed with a slight pinch.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile. It was already excellent to find silkworm cocoons at this moment. Why bother about so much?
The silkworms of the future underwent countless generations of breeding. How could these wild silkworms, tens of thousands of years earlier, compare?
Of course, while he reasoned this way, the disappointment lingered because these silkworms would also need to be nurtured slowly, just like rapeseed, millet, and wild chickens.
Taking the branch with the cocoon, Han Cheng descended from the tree, plucked one cocoon forcefully, and turned it over to examine. One end of the cocoon was already broken, and the opening was somewhat blackened.
As expected, there was no trace of the silkworm pupae inside the cocoons, only some dried and broken skins left behind. Presumably, they had already hatched into moths, mated, and ascended to heaven completely.
Han Cheng sniffled. It seemed he would have to continue searching for silkworms until next spring…
Previously, he had only thought about finding silkworm cocoons in autumn. Still, he had forgotten that once the silkworms finished spinning their cocoons, they would emerge from them in just a few days, achieving greatness by laying eggs and then dying.
But it was still good. At least it confirmed that there were indeed silkworms here. Knowing this, as long as they were willing to put in the effort, they could find the silkworms.
Of course, it was also highly possible that they hadn't found the silkworms yet and were first ambushed by the hidden killer, the "foreign pepper," lurking beneath the green leaves.
Han Cheng looked at the three cocoons in his hand and then at the bald mulberry tree, feeling something was amiss.
According to the speed at which silkworms went through a cycle in just over a month, their reproductive capacity should not be lower than that of rabbits. Since there were silkworms here, many cocoons should have been hanging from the mulberry trees by autumn. Yet now, they were so scarce, which was truly perplexing.
Han Cheng's bewilderment lasted only briefly before a group of noisy birds flew overhead, dropping something, which solved his doubts.
Watching Mu Tou, who touched his nose and angrily threw stones at the birds flying away, Han Cheng couldn't help but chuckle. At the same time, his doubts about the lack of wild silkworms were dispelled.
Seeing Divine Child's joyful expression, everyone gathered around to see the object Divine Child was earnestly seeking.
Their experiences over the past year had taught them that anything Divine Child took an interest in and treated so seriously was extraordinary!
After seeing the true appearance of the object, Eldest Senior Brother and the others couldn't help but exchange glances.
They couldn't understand why Divine Child needed such a thing.
Someone voiced their doubts, and Han Cheng, in a good mood, said, "To make clothes."
After saying this, he pulled at the animal skin wrapped around him and added, "."
After understanding Han Cheng's meaning, everyone became even more puzzled. The fur they were wearing was already very comfortable. Why did Divine Child insist on making clothes out of this strange object? Moreover, it was so small. How could it be worn on the body?
Could it be tied to the body with thin ropes, wound around in circles?
This appearance would indeed be too strange.
But wearing this way in hot weather should be very cool…
Some of the more imaginative ones, looking at the silkworm cocoons in Han Cheng's hand, began to brainstorm.
Han Cheng didn't know what this person was thinking. If he knew, he would be amused.
The purpose of today's visit had been achieved, and it was time to go back.
Thinking happily, Han Cheng prepared to take everyone back. But when he turned around, he still saw no sign of Fu Jiang.
Thinking this, Han Cheng scolded with a touch of indulgence, then shouted, "Fu Jiang~!"
The voice echoed in the vast forest.
After shouting twice, Han Cheng stood still, looking around, waiting for the familiar figure that would usually come out immediately with joy, wagging its tail and bouncing around him.
However, he didn't see the familiar figure after waiting for a while today.
Han Cheng's relaxed heart suddenly tightened, suppressing his anxiety, telling himself not to overthink, and then continued to call out.
The voice was a bit louder than before, tinged with urgency and a hint of unease.
The forest, with its fallen leaves, was as quiet as ever. There was no other movement except for a few small animals nearby being scared away by the sound and running away.
Han Cheng's heart was in his throat. He quickly asked if anyone had noticed where Fu Jiang had gone or when he disappeared.
Everyone had just noticed when Han Cheng called out for Fu Jiang. Now, they were all trying hard to think, but they didn't know anything else apart from knowing that Fu Jiang had been following them until now.